


Feathers and Fluff

by hybryd0



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Gen, Pre-Slash, Wingfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-03
Updated: 2014-02-03
Packaged: 2018-01-11 02:15:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1167429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hybryd0/pseuds/hybryd0
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A hotel night gives Liam and Harry a chance to relax.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Feathers and Fluff

**Author's Note:**

> First I'd like to thank [carissima](http://archiveofourown.org/users/carissima) for the brit-pick and beta. Tumblr is evil, but we made it work in the end. This may end up being a cut scene from a longer fic, we'll see. As always, I hate titles.

Harry sighs in relief as he steps off the bus and is finally able to spread his wings. The bus ride not only felt too cramped, but the broken air conditioner made it feel like an oven in the unbearable heat of summer. The somewhat cooler night air and slight breeze feels like heaven.

“Oi, some of the rest of us would like to spread our wings too, y’know?”

Harry shoots an irritated look over his shoulder at Louis, but steps aside so Louis can take the final step off the bus. Louis’s feathers are so obviously puffed up in agitation and have been since the a/c went out and the heat started to climb. They’ve all been irritable and moody, even Niall whose grumpiness is usually reserved for early mornings. They’re all eager to get into the blissfully cool rooms that the hotel of the night offers.

Zayn doesn’t even spare Harry a glance as he steps off the bus and follows Louis, while Niall pauses just long enough to share a relieved smile before falling into step. It’s Liam who stops and really looks at Harry, which, of course it is, Liam who is always trying to look out for them like he takes the nickname Daddy Direction to heart. He doesn’t even stretch out his own wings as his eyes flick over Harry’s golden brown feathers, obviously assessing.

“You’re in need of a good grooming, Haz,” Liam says, flicking his eyes up to meet Harry’s.

Harry fluffs his feathers and winces. Liam is definitely right; he can feel his feathers laying out of place all over and the uncomfortable itch of feathers that need to be pulled. They’re in the habit of grooming each other (they have declared themselves a flock after all) but in the high heat of the bus, none of them had wanted to get close enough to touch each other, as if they’d melt away if they did.

“Come to my room after you get settled in, yeah? Could do with a bit of grooming myself,” Liam says. As an afterthought, he adds, “If you want.”

“Can we just go straight yours?”

Liam looks slightly surprised as if he’s expecting Harry to want some privacy after they’ve been cooped up for way too long on the bus, but he nods nonetheless and they head into the hotel together. Harry isn’t all that surprised to see the other boys haven’t waited for them, but Paul has, with a promise to get the bus looked at while offering them their room keys. Harry doesn’t actually think his room will get any use, but he takes the key anyway.

They’re quiet in the elevator, like they’ve mostly been quiet all day, but it’s a comfortable silence, very much unlike the tense silence that permeated the bus. Except that may have mostly been due to the lack of Louis and his irritation when things go wrong, like their only source of cold breaking.

The room has a chair that’s perfect for grooming and Liam gets it situated in the middle of the room before Harry lets himself be gently sat down. He doesn’t try to argue about going first and just settles in to enjoy.

Liam starts with the least pleasant part--pulling loose feathers and checking the oil glands. Harry watches Liam’s face as he works, warmth coiling in his belly at the way Liam is biting his lip as he concentrates, being careful but thorough as he checks Harry’s wings. His touch is soft and gentle, slowly working the loose feathers out. Liam’s eyes flick to meet his just briefly as his fingers slide through Harry’s layers of feathers and the warmth in his belly swells with a surge of affection.

“You’d be good at doing this for a living,” Harry says, grinning at the flush that spreads across Liam’s cheeks.

“Practically do already, don’t I?” Liam teases back.

“You love it,” Harry replies with a fond smile.

But the look on Liam’s face is completely serious when he replies, “I do.”

Harry’s heart thumps hard at that, the affection he feels for his friend making his grin grow until he feels like his face might split in two, it’s so wide. One of his favourite things about Liam is how honest and earnest he’s always been. He’s never been afraid to voice his affection, even if there was a time when he wasn’t completely comfortable with their physical affection.

Liam moves around behind Harry and starts the much more pleasurable task of preening. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of unpleasantly ruffled feathers being soothed back into place and Harry can’t help but sigh with contentment. Tension he hadn’t even realized he was holding in his body releases and he slumps into the chair, humming as Liam works him over just as carefully as he had the underside.

He doesn’t even realize he’s fallen asleep until Liam gently shakes him awake, kneeling in front of him with a soft, warm smile on his face. “C’mon, love. I think it’s bedtime for you.”

“Wha’ ‘bout you?” Harry asks, even though he knows there’s no way he can stay awake long enough to groom Liam too.

Liam seems to have the same thought as he just grins, shakes his head, and wraps his fingers lightly around Harry’s wrists, standing up to encourage Harry to do the same. Harry is really too sleepy to even think about playfully resisting and just let’s Liam lead him over to the bed. He tries to help a little as Liam gets him stripped down to his boxers, which he doesn’t take off out of respect for Liam letting him crash in his room. The idea of stumbling to his own room just seems insurmountable at this point.

Harry tries to stay awake long enough for Liam to crawl into bed, but he’s too near the brink and before he even realizes it, his breathing evens out and he’s asleep.

For Harry, waking up is a slow, gradual process. He feels warm and safe with Liam’s arm around around his waist and one wing thrown over him. It’s his favourite way to wake up, wrapped up with one of his boys, but especially with Liam because Liam is big enough to really enfold around him. He never sleeps better or wakes up as refreshed than when he shares a bed with Liam.

He’d be content to just lay there under the blanket of Liam’s wing until Liam wakes up, but nature calls and instead he has to try and peel himself away from Liam without waking him up. Liam snuffles adorably and reaches for him, but thankfully stays asleep.

For just a moment, Harry can’t help but appreciate the view. Liam looks younger in his sleep, almost childlike if it wasn’t for the light stubble lining his jaw. The wing that had blanketing Harry is spread out, the feathers fanned out across the sheets looking warm and inviting, enticing Harry to just curl back up beneath them. Without thinking, he reaches out and strokes his fingers lightly down one white and black feather before he realises what he’s doing and pulls away, turning to hurry to the bathroom.

When he comes back, Liam is awake, sitting up in bed and looking adorably rumpled. He smiles sleepily at Harry and Harry’s heart thumps loudly in his chest, the warmth in his belly from last night surging wildly with a vengeance. The urge to curl back up into Liam in a nest of warm feathers and body heat and go back to sleep is great, but so is the need to return the favour and groom Liam’s wings.

Getting Liam out of bed early in the morning is a lot easier than any of the other lads, especially with the promise of grooming. Harry is pretty sure the only feeling in the world better than grooming is a mindblowing orgasm.

Once Liam is settled in place, Harry wastes no time in getting to work. He takes the same care that Liam did with him last night, gently parting the feathers to check the oil glands and plucking any loose feathers. Liam has some of the softest under covert feathers that Harry has ever felt and he has to make himself pull away once he’s done the underside of both Liam’s wings, otherwise he’d spend all day running his fingers through them.

Harry realises with a grin that Liam has fallen asleep again, body slumped and wings drooping. It makes preening a little more difficult, but Harry doesn’t have the heart to wake Liam up again. Not yet, not when sleep has been so hard to come by. The plus side is that it really gives Harry the chance to take more time than he normally would have and really admire Liam’s wings.

He can remember when Liam came of age, when the plain gray fledgling plumage was replaced with his adult plumage. Liam had been so disappointed by the black and white feathers, called them boring and uninteresting, but Harry has always disagreed. He thinks they’re breathtaking; the soft, pure white capped with the darkest black. They fit Liam, and not because he’s dull and boring like he’s been so wrongly labelled, but because he’s just as breathtakingly gorgeous.

“Pretty sure that one is laying right by now.”

Harry jolts a little, caught by surprise, and quickly finishes preening the last few feathers. Liam sits up and twists to look at him over his shoulder, a soft smile on his face. He still looks sleepy and even more relaxed, but his eyes are as warm as the feeling in Harry’s chest and all at once he really just wants to lean down and kiss him. So he does but aims for his jaw instead.

“I think we’ve got some time before Paul comes for us,” Harry says as he nuzzles his face in Liam’s neck.

“Room service?” Liam asks.

“Better than trying to beat Niall to the bacon at the buffet,” Harry says, only half joking. Niall has the reputation of being the big eater of their flock, but the truth of the matter is they’re growing teenage boys and they can all put away an impressive amount.

Liam stands and stretches his wings out to the their full span before tucking them back in. “I’ll call it in if you wanna have the first shower.”

A grooming session, followed by a hot shower, and then breakfast with one of his best mates? Harry thinks there’s only one thing missing to make it a perfect morning, but he’s more than satisfied with how things are. For now, at least.

**Author's Note:**

> Harry
> 
> Liam


End file.
